The PlayStation Vita isn't even fully available worldwide yet, and Japan's Nikkei newspaper is already reporting its demise. Specifically, an anonymous source from the Japanese game industry told the paper that Japanese companies are abandoning their Vita projects in favor of developing for the 3DS. It's true that the 3DS has been routinely outselling the Vita in Japan (as has the aging PSP), but Sony's VP of Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde isn't buying into the panic.

Rohde told Gamasutra that "extremist quotes like that" aren't uncommon with a new product. Rohde believes the Nikkei story is exaggerated, noting that "there is no way anyone could stand in front of a camera and say that all developers are changing focus from one platform to another, no matter what it is." Indeed, it wasn't too long ago that many were writing eulogies for the 3DS, which has since gone on to sell 15 million units (although it wasn't able to prevent losses for Nintendo).

We're inclined to agree with Rohde, as it only makes sense that publishers would probably wait to judge the worldwide impact of the Vita before abandoning it entirely.

First edition bundles are only sold in America, and have only been out for 2 days. I believe they were a pre-order incentive, and you had to pay for a more expensive bundle than you would get waiting for the 22nd of February.

As for the article, it's not a Sony product launch without the end of the world coming.

Sounds like BS to me. I think the PS Vita is a good console and it's really early days for developers to turn about face and abandon a platform this early out the gate. Game companies I know usually spend 12 to 36 months on a game and have very specific schedules they don't and can't just abandon game development without a seriously good reason and I don't think the 3DS outselling the PS Vita in Japan is such a reason.

If the console does well in North America and Europe it could become extremely attractive to developers that like money and although it is risky investing in a new console that doesn't have a large market yet it also has the large rewards of having one of the few games for the latest console which could pay off big time.